Superradiance can trigger the formation of an ultralight boson cloud around a spinning black hole. Once formed, the boson cloud is expected to emit a nearly periodic, long-duration, ...gravitational-wave signal. For boson masses in the range (10−13–10−11) eV, and stellar mass black holes, such signals are potentially detectable by gravitational-wave detectors, like Advanced LIGO and Virgo. In this Letter, we present full band upper limits for a generic all-sky search for periodic gravitational waves in LIGO O2 data, and use them to derive-for the first time-direct constraints on the ultralight scalar boson field mass.
The cancellation of noise from terrestrial gravity fluctuations, also known as Newtonian noise (NN), in gravitational-wave detectors is a formidable challenge. Gravity fluctuations result from ...density perturbations associated with environmental fields, e.g., seismic and acoustic fields, which are characterized by complex spatial correlations. Measurements of these fields necessarily provide incomplete information, and the question is how to make optimal use of available information for the design of a noise-cancellation system. In this paper, we present a machine-learning approach to calculate a surrogate model of a Wiener filter. The model is used to calculate optimal configurations of seismometer arrays for a varying number of sensors, which is the missing keystone for the design of NN cancellation systems. The optimization results indicate that efficient noise cancellation can be achieved even for complex seismic fields with relatively few seismometers provided that they are deployed in optimal configurations. In the form presented here, the optimization method can be applied to all current and future gravitational-wave detectors located at the surface and with minor modifications also to future underground detectors.
We report a series of 1,3-diphenylureido hydroxamate HDAC inhibitors evaluated against sensitive and drug-resistant P. falciparum strains. Compounds 8a-d show potent antiplasmodial activity, ...indicating that a phenyl spacer allows improved potency relative to cinnamyl and di-hydrocinnamyl linkers. In vitro, mechanistic studies demonstrated target activity for PfHDAC1 on a recombinant level, which agreed with cell quantification of the acetylated histone levels. Compounds 6c, 7c, and 8c, identified as the most active in phenotypic assays and PfHDAC1 enzymatic inhibition. Compound 8c stands out as a remarkable inhibitor, displaying an impressive 85% inhibition of PfHDAC1, with an IC
value of 0.74 µM in the phenotypic screening on Pf3D7 and 0.8 µM against multidrug-resistant PfDd2 parasites. Despite its potent inhibition of PfHDAC1, 8c remains the least active on human HDAC1, displaying remarkable selectivity. In silico studies suggest that the phenyl linker has an ideal length in the series for permitting effective interactions of the hydroxamate with PfHDAC1 and that this compound series could bind as well as in HsHDAC1. Taken together, these results highlight the potential of diphenylurea hydroxamates as a privileged scaffold for the generation of potent antimalarial HDAC inhibitors with improved selectivity over human HDACs.
We assessed the T-cell receptor gamma (TRG) recombination reads from the cancer genome atlas melanoma tumor exome files and the TRG recombination reads from an independent, melanoma exome file ...dataset, from the Moffitt Cancer Center. TRG complementarity determining region-3 (CDR3) amino acid (AA) sequences were assessed for chemical complementarity to cancer testis antigens, with such complementarity for FAM133A and CRISP2 associated with better survival probabilities for both datasets. These results, along with related TRG CDR3 AA chemical feature assessments provided in this report, have indicated opportunities for melanoma patient stratifications based on the recovery of TRG recombination reads from both tumor and blood samples, and the results may point towards novel, effective melanoma antigens.
In this paper we introduce a novel filtering method for the search of continuous gravitational wave signals in the data of interferometric detectors, based on the estimation of the harmonic content ...of the detector sidereal pattern. Thanks to the very specific properties of the sidereal modulation, the method is powerful in discriminating among continuous wave signals of astrophysical origin and detector artefacts or noise outliers. We describe here the statistical properties of the filter by using both software and hardware simulated signals injected in the data of the LIGO second science run O2 and we give an estimate of the method sensitivity. A study of the method robustness with respect to a nonoptimal correction of the signal frequency variation, referring in particular to the spin-down, is also presented. This novel filtering procedure is well suited for directed searches of sources with known-or loosely known-position and largely unknown frequency and spin-down, and for the follow-up of all-sky candidates. Used as an initial processing step it has, moreover, the potential to improve the sensitivity of wide-band hierarchical searches.
Abstract The hippocampus is an important structural biomarker for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and has a primary role in the pathogenesis of other neurological and psychiatric diseases. This study ...presents a fully automated pattern recognition system for an accurate and reproducible segmentation of the hippocampus in structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). The method was validated on a mixed cohort of 56 T1-weighted structural brain images, and consists of three processing levels: (a) Linear registration: all brain images were registered to a standard template and an automated method was applied to capture the global shape of the hippocampus. (b) Feature extraction: all voxels included in the previously selected volume were characterized by 315 features computed from local information. (c) Voxel classification: a Random Forest algorithm was used to classify voxels as belonging or not belonging to the hippocampus. In order to improve the classification performance, an adaptive learning method based on the use of the Pearson's correlation coefficient was developed. The segmentation results (Dice similarity index = 0.81 ± 0.03) compare well with other state-of-the art approaches. A validation study was conducted on an independent dataset of 100 T1-weighted brain images, achieving significantly better results than those obtained with FreeSurfer.
Malaria remains as one of the major public health problems worldwide. About 228 million cases occurred in 2018 only, with Africa bearing about 93% of the cases. Asymptomatic population carrying the ...various forms of the parasite Plasmodium in endemic areas plays an important role in the spread of the disease. To tackle this battle, more sensitive and precise detection kits for malaria are crucial to better control the number of new malaria cases. In this review, we not only discuss some of the available approaches to rapidly detect new malaria cases in endemic areas but also shed light on parallel problems that may affect the detection of individuals infected with the parasite, covering kelch 13 mutation, glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, and hemoglobin disorders. Available approaches for malaria detection covered in this review are focused on point-of-care tests, including portable polymerase chain reaction and aptamers.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES
We detail a procedure for generating a set of templates for the hippocampal region in magnetic resonance (MR) images, representative of the clinical conditions of the population ...under investigation.
METHODS
The first step is robust standardization of the intensity scale of brain MR images, belonging to patients with different degrees of neuropathology (Alzheimer's disease). So similar tissues have similar intensities, even across images coming from different sources. After the automatic extraction of the hippocampal region from a large dataset of images, we address template generation, choosing by clusterization methods a small number of the extracted regions.
RESULTS
We assess that template generation is largely independent on the clusterization method and on the number and the clinical condition of the patients. The templates are chosen as the most representative images in a population. The estimation of the “minimum” number of templates for the hippocampal region can be proposed, using a metric based on the geometrical position of the extracted regions.
CONCLUSIONS
This study describes a simple and easily reproducible procedure to generate templates for the hippocampal region. It can be generalized and applied to other brain regions, which may be relevant for neuroimaging studies.
A 9‐week‐old, female entire cross breed dog presented with a history of recurrent constipation since being weaned. Survey radiography, CT and subsequently a retrograde vagino‐urethrogram were ...performed, and the patient was diagnosed with colonic duplication. CT showed a grossly abnormal colon, with the ascending colon bifurcating into two transverse and two descending colons with a common wall between them. During hospitalisation, the patient was observed to pass faecal material from the vulva. A retrograde vagino‐urethrogram was performed and revealed a colovaginal fistula. Surgical intervention was discussed; however, due to the severity of abnormalities found, the owner elected to euthanise the dog. A necropsy confirmed the imaging findings.
Health-seeking encompasses the activities individuals perform in order to restore wellness when they perceive themselves as ill. Alarmingly, it is apparent that there is a decrease in frequency of ...health-seeking as one ages. While there have been numerous studies about elderly health-seeking behavior across the globe, the need to know about their preferences remains a research imperative, hence this conjoint analysis investigation. The objective of this study is to identify the health-seeking preferences of a select group of Filipino elderly in the community. To measure preferences for health-seeking, a conjoint analysis survey of 304 Filipino elderly aged 60 years and above was conducted from June to July 2012 using the balanced incomplete block design. Results indicate that the most important attribute in terms of health-seeking behavior is the physician's experience. Elderly clients tend to seek health care from expert private practitioners who provide full information regarding illness and charge professional fees of less than 500 pesos (8-9 British pounds or 12-13 U.S. dollars). Results suggest that there are factors that may impede or promote health care seeking in elderly clients, of which physicians' experience is deemed most important. These preferences, if integrated into the current practice, can help health care practitioners in improving the quality of care provided.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
BFBNIB, DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
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